Running the WDW Marathon in 2018
Running is fun! My name is Amy and I started running at age 43 when I decided to get my obesity under control. I started using MyFitnessPal to count calories for weight loss. A month after starting MFP, in August 2015, I started running with a C25K (Couch To 5K) program. I was very surprised to find myself enjoying everything about running! Before finishing the program I signed up for my first 5K race and by then I was totally hooked! I'm not fast but I love everything about road racing and signed up for as many local runs as I could.
I ran my first half marathon at Disney World in April 2016 and then ran Dopey along with my first full marathon in January 2018. A month later I found out that I got into the 2018 New York Marathon via lottery. While training for New York I started suffering from intermittent Achilles issues which have unfortunately bothered me ever since, to varying degrees. It is a relatively common issue in runners but I am having a hard time completely resolving the pain and weakness, though physical therapy in late 2019 helped.
In July 2021, I suffered some extreme knee pain (following a couple of years of untreated mild knee pain). This finally prompted me to see an orthopedic doctor, who gave me steroid injections and prescribed a knee brace and physical therapy. The steroid shots help for a time, but my knee pain persists over a year later, despite physical therapy and strength work. While I work through this and an unfortunate bout of yo-yo dieting and weight fluctuation, I'm doing walk-heavy run/walk intervals and slowly tackling weekly runs and all these races I just can't stop signing up for.
I wanted to have a place to share my race reports and gear reviews, so WeRunForFun.com was born. Thank you for visiting!
Last updated: November 23, 2022
A note about my race reports, recaps, and reviews
I like to look back on my race write-ups, for nostalgia, but also for basic logistics information which I sometimes find useful for future runs. That's why I include stupid details like what time I left home, how difficult it was to park, if I picked up my packet ahead of time, where I headed after the race, etc.
I have an Etsy shop filled with running costumes for runDisney fans and others who love to run themed races and to run in costume. Click the link above to visit the shop and find fun running costume inspiration! Below are some popular options to give you an idea of what's available.
I have a blog post for every race in which I have participated. Here are some of my favorites!
I had registered for the Star Wars Dark Side 5K back in September 2015, and soon after regretted not registering for the 10K, and then later for the half marathon. The races all sold out quickly so I was out of luck. Or was I? On February 18th,...
I ran the sixth annual Swamp House Half Marathon on March 5th. It was my first time running this race, which courses through my hometown of DeBary, Florida. Swamp House is a fundraiser for my local running club, West Volusia Runners (WVR). The route follows residential streets, our...
Chimpathon is a special 16K race that takes place in Fort Pierce, Florida. The course runs from the St. Lucie County Fairgrounds along a multi-use path and rural road to Save the Chimps, the world's largest chimpanzee sanctuary. Particpants run the dirt roads of the sanctuary,...
The second annual Star Wars Dark Side race weekend concluded with the half marathon on Sunday. This year I had also run the 10K on Saturday which meant I was in for the Dark Side Challenge and would be getting an additional medal once this race was...
Woo hoo, it's my favorite race weekend! This was my third year participating in the Dark Side races and my third consecutive Dark Side 5K. I signed up for the challenge on the first day of registration, but I waited on the 5K. It eventually sold out and...
Woo hoo, it's 10K time in my favorite race weekend! This was my third year participating in the Dark Side races and my second consecutive Dark Side 10K. I ran this race as a generic Dark Side nerd, with a Death Star Mickey ears hat, a Darth Vader...
Right on, it's Dark Side Half Marathon time! This was my third year participating in the Dark Side races and my third Dark Side Half. Since I ran the 10K the day prior, I was in for the Challenge and would be getting an additional medal. I had...
I participated in the Pump House Run in Lake Apopka, Florida this year. I'm not sure but I think it was an inaugural event. The main run was an 8-miler from Magnolia Park along hard-packed gravel roads to the historic Pump House by the lake. There was...
Thank you for visiting! The posts on this site are personal race reports and honest product reviews. WeRunForFun.com is monetized. That means that when a reader clicks on a link in one of my posts that leads to a commerce site, like Amazon.com, I may receive compensation when a purchase is made, at no extra cost to the reader. The reviews and reports found on this website are my own words, but the FTC requires that I disclose the fact that I may be financially rewarded for some of these posts. I am involved with several affiliate programs, which may include Amazon, Zazzle, AliExpress, Oofos, and others.
This website is for informational and educational purposes only. Some posts and pages include copyrighted material, the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. The material is used to share information about products, services, and events. I believe this constitutes a "fair use" of such material.
